Accidentally on Purpose
by Bard15
Summary: A member of the team is seriously injured in a car accident...was it an accident or murder? And who was the target? A little itty bitty case story and lot of "team as a family" dynamics.
1. Chapter 1

"**ACCIDENTLY ON PURPOSE"**

Bard 15

Summary: when a team member is involved in an auto accident was it really an accident; and who was the intended target?

A/N: I wanted a story that focused more on team/family dynamics as opposed to some big 'end of the world' case story...so it's a little itty bitty case...but lots of h/c and family...

**...NCIS...**

The morning saw Gibbs marching into autopsy in his usual brusque manner looking for his old friend, spying him sitting at his desk.

"Hey Duck, how's the cold?" Gibbs asked the older man, handing him a cup of tea, and then adding with a sly smirk, "with a dash of the old home remedy."

"Thank you Jethro…" the older man said with a smile, taking the lid off and taking a small sip. "Just what the doctor ordered."

"Quiet today." Gibbs commented, looking around autopsy.

"Yes, I imagine the team is going stir crazy with nothing of note to investigate."

"Yeah, cold cases do not hold their attention, especially DiNozzo…if they don't get something new soon Ziva is going to give you a customer." Gibbs said with a chuckle.

"Anthony that bored he is tempting fate with our lovely assassin?" Ducky mused.

Further conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the phone, both men taking notice that it was an outside line.

"Autopsy, Dr. Mallard speaking."

"Yes. Yes, he does. Yes, I am…why…oh, my." the older man gave a worried look to his friend as he continued. "Is he all right…which one….okay, thank you for calling?"

Gibbs watched in concern as the older doctor replaced the phone and leaned into the desk, shoulders slumped, and took a deep breath. "Duck, what is it? What happened?"

Looking up, Gibbs could see worry in his friends' eyes. "It's Mr. Palmer…he has been in an accident…they found his NCIS ID and called…they're taking him to Bethesda. The officer…the officer said it didn't look good."

"Come on Duck, I'll drive you."

On his way to the car, Gibbs called DiNozzo. "Yeah boss?"

"DiNozzo, call Baltimore PD find out about an MVA that just happened…why…because I'm takin' Ducky to Bethesda right now to check on Palmer, that's why?"

"Palmer? Is he…"

"Don't know yet. Find out what you can."

TBC-

a/n: there are definitely NOT enough Jimmy stories out there...seems like anytime anyone does incorporate the poor guy in the storyline, they make him into an idiot...so I like to see him being treated as part of the team/being important to the team - or - being portrayed as competent and productive at his job-or-just getting equal "whumping"/H/C time...

...I'd like to give kudos to the best Jimmy story I've come across so far... "An Autopsy Gremlin Blues" by WriterKos...


	2. Prognosis & Suspicions, Ch 2

**-CHAPTER 2-**

Dr. Mallard was not a man prone to angry outbursts or biting words under normal circumstances…even when stressed he could always be counted as the voice of calm and reason. Today, however, the good doctor had found his line in the sand…and no one was going to interfere with his finding out the status of his young assistant…hospital rules be damned.

"Duck, ya' gotta calm down before they kick us out of here." Gibbs coaxed his friend. "Sit down for a minute…"

"I will not calm down, Jethro…I am his doctor of record…I should be back there…do they know about his diabetes…" The older man tried to rise from his seat only to be gently forced back down by a hand to his shoulder.

"Yeah, Duck, they know…he wears his medi-bracelet, remember." Gibbs reminded his friend. "Besides, he works here…they have his records."

"Yes, of course…" Ducky said absently, his eyes on the ER bay doors.

Forty minutes later the bay doors opened, "Family of James Palmer?"

"That would be us my good man. How is the lad?" Ducky said rising from his chair.

"And you are?"

"Dr. Mallard…you will find me listed on his contact forms…now how is the lad. I need to see him." Ducky said impatiently.

"Ah, Dr. Mallard." the ER doctor acknowledged with a nod of his head, "Jimmy speaks highly of you; I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage doctor?" Ducky said.

"Sorry." the man said. "Doctor Peterson, Jimmy was on rotation through the ER last semester."

"Ah, yes, Dr. Peterson." Ducky returned the acknowledgement. "Yes, he spoke of you. He found his rotation through the ER quite challenging…you can imagine things are not quite so urgent in autopsy."

"Well, he was up to the challenge. He'll make a great doctor no matter what field of medicine he chooses to pursue." Dr. Peterson said.

"I take it that means Palmer is gonna make it?" Gibbs cut into the conversation.

Dr. Peterson raised an eyebrow at the agent.

Flipping open his badge he said. "Agent Gibbs, NCIS. Palmer's one of ours."

Dr. Peterson gave a nod before taking a deep breath and beginning his run down of Jimmy's injuries. "First off he's stable. Besides the cuts and abrasions you'd expect from the shattering glass and impact, he has a severe concussion from hitting the windshield, needed eight stitches to close the gash on his forehead…the unit on scene reported that the airbags didn't deploy. He also has severe bruising to his torso from the seatbelt and a few cracked ribs, and most likely whiplash."

"His glucose levels," Ducky inquired.

"Tested and within normal limits." the doctor answered. "We'll be checking them every two to three hours."

"Can we see him now?"

"Give us about 30 minutes, we're moving him to a room, when we get him settled you can see him."

"Thanks doc." Gibbs said.

"I'll check in on him later this evening if you have any more questions." the ER doctor reported. "If you need anything Dr. Mallard, just have me paged."

"Thank you Dr. Peterson." Ducky said before the doctor disappeared back through the bay doors.

"I need to contact his mother." Ducky said.

"Good idea. The doc said it would be a little while, let's go down to the cafeteria. I need to call the office, see what they found out about the crash…I don't like the sound of this." Gibbs said.

"Jethro?"

"The airbags didn't deploy."

"Airbags can malfunction…some people even have them disconnected…sometimes things are just as you see them Jethro." Ducky said tiredly.

"Maybe, Duck."

The two men parted company off the elevator to make their calls, agreeing to meet up in the cafeteria.

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"DiNozzo," Tony said, answering his phone.

"What did you find out, Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"Baltimore PD reports that Palmer was the passenger…a woman, Lt. Shelley Cort was the driver…dead at the scene, went through the windshield." Tony reported.

"So what happened?"

"There still investigating the scene…sent McGee to check it out; but the preliminaries suggest that the driver lost control of the car and went over an embankment, hit some trees." Tony reported.

"Any indication why," Gibbs questioned.

"Not yet, PD is towing the car in to see if they can determine the cause of the crash." Tony reported, asking tightly, "So how's Palmer?"

"Concussion and stitches to his head. A few cracked ribs. As soon as they get him settled we're going in to see him." Gibbs relayed. "Stay on this…"

"Boss, it was just an accident…right?" Tony said with some confusion. "I know it was a Lt. driving but this isn't our kind of case."

"Maybe, but I still want to know everything the PD finds out about the crash." Gibbs ordered.

"On it boss."

Gibbs met back up with Ducky several moments later.

"Speak with Mrs. Palmer?"

"Actually no…and it's not the kind of thing one wishes to convey to a machine." Ducky said, asking. "So what did Anthony have to say?"

"Jimmy wasn't driving…he was the passenger. The car was owned by a Lt. Shelly Cort…"

"Hhmm…Cort…I recall Mr. Palmer mentioning a Lt. Cort….friend of his from medical school…how is she?"

"She didn't make it Duck."

"Oh my…"

"You know anything about her?"

"No, Jimmy just mentioned her in passing…he did comment that they were both up for a rather prestigious internship at Johns Hopkins…"

"Palmer was leaving?" Gibbs asked in surprise.

"No Jethro…he was most excited to be in the running, quite an honor to be even considered really; but it wasn't in a field of medicine he wished to pursue…he was planning on withdrawing his name, but I convinced him to see it through." Ducky explained.

Their conversation was halted when they heard the page they had been waiting for.

**TBC-**


	3. A Place to Start, Ch 3

**-CHAPTER 3-**

Ducky and Gibbs quietly entered the room, getting their first look at the young man's injuries.

Palmer lay unconscious, his head sporting deep bruising around the stitches, while both arms were swathed in bandages up to his elbow from injuries caused by the shattering glass. Because of the deep bruising caused by the seatbelt his cracked ribs remained unbound.

"So, he gonna be okay?" Gibbs asked worriedly, looking at the small, pale figure on the bed.

"Yes, I think he's going to be just fine…physically anyway; when he finds out about the Lt., well that will be another matter entirely." Ducky said, as he pulled Jimmy's chart and was scanning the doctor's notes.

The two men turned when the door opened to reveal another doctor, who was dressed in surgical scrubs and wore a haggard expression; and seemed somewhat surprised to find anyone in the room.

"What are you doing?" the young, blonde doctor demanded accusingly. "Patient records are confidential."

"It's quite all right young man. I'm Mr. Palmer's doctor of record." Ducky answered, replacing the chart.

"Doctor of…you must be Dr. Mallard." the young man said, moving up to greet the older gentleman. "Cameron Jenkins. Jim speaks of you quite a bit."

Chuckling lightly, Ducky returned the handshake. "And is that a good thing or a bad thing, I wonder?"

"Oh, definitely good, Doctor." the young man said. "Jim said he has learned more from your stories than from any med school lecture."

Turning to look at Jimmy, Jenkins said tightly. "So, Dr. Peterson said he was going to be all right?"

"In time, his physical injuries will heal." Ducky said, noting. "I'm more worried about the psychological toll…his friend did not make it."

"Yeah, I know," the younger doctor choked out, looking away from the two men.

Conversation was suddenly cut off when the equipment alarms suddenly sounded as Jimmy's heart rate and respiration gave an abrupt spike.

Moving quickly to his young assistants side, Ducky gently took hold of Jimmy's hand and cajoled, "Mr. Palmer. Jimmy, my boy, you need to wake up…calm down."

"Hey, come on Jim…don't do this…calm down." Jenkins said, moving up to the other side of the bed to push the call button.

Though not regaining consciousness, Jimmy's agitation and heart rate increased to dangerous levels

Seconds later, several doctors and nurses poured into the room.

"Report," Dr. Peterson demanded, coming to his patient.

Dr. Jenkins gave a clipped report to the senior doctor who quickly ordered and administered needed medications into Jimmy's IV line. Within moments the patient's agitation settled and his vitals returned to normal levels.

A collective sigh of relief went around the room as Dr. Peterson reported. "He's stable now."

"What the hell was that? What happened to Palmer?" Gibbs demanded to the room in general.

"He seems to fighting returning to consciousness…spiking his stats." the doctor reported.

"But why," Gibbs demanded.

"I don't know."

"Duck," Gibbs asked.

"He has suffered quite a trauma Jethro. He is quite possibly trying to avoid what he will face when he wakes up. A feeling you can no doubt relate." Ducky said, giving his friend a knowing look.

The doctor made some notations to the chart and left, followed moments later by the nurses, until only Dr. Jenkins was left with Ducky and Gibbs.

"I hope Jim pulls through this. I need to get back to work. I'll check in on him later."

"Thank you, young man. I'm sure Jimmy will appreciate the concern." Ducky said.

The two men barely had a moment to collect themselves when the door flew open and a blur of black raced past them, followed more slowly by Ziva.

"Oh, poor Jimmy." Abby cried, going to her friend and gently taking his hand. "Tony said he was in a car accident. What happened…is he going to be all right?"

"Abs, calm down," Gibbs said quietly. "He's got a concussion and a few cracked ribs, but the doctors got him patched up, he'll be fine."

While Ducky filled Abby in on Palmers injuries, Gibbs motioned Ziva outside the room.

"I do not understand. This was an accident, yet Tony says you wish to investigate." Ziva commented with some confusion.

"Call it a feeling." Gibbs said. "Call McGee, have him look into internships offered by Johns Hopkins…Palmer was on a list, along with the dead Lt.; I want to know who else was on that **TBC-**

list."


	4. Murder Confirmed, Ch 4

**-CHAPTER 4-**

Gibbs didn't waste any time when he and Ziva strode off the elevator an hour later.

"What have you got McGee?"

In seconds McGee had the file on the plasma.

"Lt. Shelly Cort, 32. Stationed at Bethesda, she is a first year resident. Before that she was stationed overseas as a head nurse at a field hospital in Bagdad. When she returned to the states she enrolled in medical school to get her doctorate." McGee reported, scrolling through multiple files he stopped on a class list. "She and Palmer are in two classes together this term…Medical Ethics and a two day a week clinical at the hospital."

"What about the John Hopkins residency Ducky mentioned?"

"It's a very prestigious position for a resident…it's a two year internship in a neurovascular study aimed specifically at helping returning soldiers suffering from TBI's" McGee reported, changing the plasma. "Since the study deals with the military most of the applicants are military or civilians working within government agencies."

"That's how Palmer made the short list." Gibbs commented.

"So, you think someone's out to make that list shorter?" Tony mused aloud.

"One way to find out; McGee get me the names of people on that list."

"On it boss." McGee said, fingers already flying over his keyboard. "Besides Palmer and the Lt., there were eleven other candidates on the list." McGee reported, adding, "The candidates are from all over the United States…of those eleven, three are in the D.C. area…the other eight are spread out at other military facilities in the U.S."

"Okay, so how would the panel go about choosing the candidate who gets the job?" Gibbs huffed out, frustrated that the theory he had been toying with had not panned out.

"Well…they would look at the candidates schooling, grades and if they had any experience in the field of medicine that the research is focusing on; then most likely a panel interview, probably need references…" McGee supplied. "It really depends on who's on the panel."

"Track the DC candidates down; I want you and Tony to question them." Gibbs ordered.

The three agents exchanged looks before Tony spoke. "Uh, boss, so far all we have is an accident, PD isn't even done processing the car…what exactly are we investigating?"

Gibbs just gave his agents a glare. "I don't know DiNozzo, how about whether someone was willing to kill two people to get that internship."

"Right, boss." Tony said quickly. "Come on McGee, let's go meet the candidates.

*****ncis*****ncis*****ncis***ncis*****

"Nice of them to all be in the same place," DiNozzo quipped as they walked the hallway towards the doctor's lounge.

"Besides Palmer and Cort, there is a Dr. Randall Stephens, Dr. Monica Sharpe and a Dr. Frank Delmar," Tim said, scanning the files in his hand. "Front desk said Sharpe and Delmar should be on their lunch break."

The two agents entered the room and saw several doctors in the lounge area. Scanning the area quickly, Tony pulled out his ID and said to the room in general, "NCIS, we're looking for Dr.'s Sharpe and Delmar."

"Uh, I'm, uh, Dr. Delmar," a small, mousy man answered.

A tall, leggy brunette rose from a back table and sauntered forward, a coy smile on her face. "I'm Doctor Sharpe, gentlemen, what can I do for you?"

Looking around the crowded lounge, Tony asked, "Someplace we can talk...privately?"

Settling in a conference room down the hall, Dr. Delmar asked. "What's going on...NCIS, you're like cops, right?"

"Yeah, we're like cops." Tony answered sarcastically.

"Is this about Sherry and Jim?" Dr. Sharpe asked.

"Why would you ask that?" Tony questioned.

"The accident is the talk of the hospital." Monica replied. "And it's not a secret that Jim works for NCIS..."

"If it was an accident why is NCIS here?" Delmar asked guardedly.

"That's actually what we're trying to determine." McGee said.

Shaking his head in confusion the mousy man asked, "So what does any of this have to do with us?"

Exchanging looks with McGee, Tony said simply, "John Hopkins ring a bell."

"The internship?" the man asked in surprise.

With an impatient eye roll and sigh Dr. Sharpe stated, "You think the accident wasn't an accident...that someone purposefully hurt Shelly and Jim...because of the internship?"

"You tell us. Is this internship worth killing over..." Tony asked, "From what we hear, it could lead to research grants and a tenured position a at John's Hopkins; that would be a big feather in your cap...the prestige...the money..."

"What! Kill someone...what, no...that's absolutely ridiculous...I would never...could never run someone off the road..." Dr. Delmar babbled.

"Whoa, there Delmar, calm down...no one's accusing anyone of anything—yet." Tony said grabbing the man's arm and guiding him to a seat.

"Look, no ones being accused of anything...there are just a few loose ends we're trying to tie up...anything you can tell us might help," McGee explained.

*****ncis*****ncis*****ncis*****ncis*****

Having called in some favors from his old precinct, the preliminary accident report was waiting for Tony when he and McGee returned.

Pulling a fax off the machine and skimming its contents Tony looked up at the rest of his team. "Boss, you were right…Baltimore PD was suspicious of the lack of skid marks at the scene; checked out the car…found the brake line had a clean cut through it…"

"So someone intended that car to crash," Tim speculated.

"So our Lt. was murdered." Ziva stated.

"Murdered Lt. …makes it our case now." Gibbs said.

"And, whoever it was didn't want to leave it to chance." Tony continued as he flipped through the report pages. "The driver's side seat belt snapped on impact."

"Cut?"

"Inconclusive. The seatbelt is reported as frayed, not cut." Tony said

"Easy enough to make it appear as frayed and worn," Ziva commented. "You simply use a sawing motion rather than making a precise cut."

"No seatbelt or airbag sent our Lt. right through the windshield." McGee stated.

"So not only was the break line cut, the airbags disengaged; but someone also cut through the seatbelt." Ziva said. "Our killer definitely did not want anyone to walk away from this accident."

"Yeah, but someone did." Gibbs pointed out.

"Do you think Jimmy's in danger, boss?" McGee asked with concern.

"I'm not taking any chances. Ziva I want you at the hospital, don't let Palmer out of your sight." Gibbs ordered.

"On it." the woman said, grabbing her gear and heading for the elevator.

"DiNozzo, call the PD, I want everything they have so far, and have that car towed to Abby's lab."

"How would the killer know Jimmy would be in the car with Lt. Cort?" Tim asked.

"Probably didn't…just luck on our killers' part that two of the targets were together." Gibbs speculated.

"That's even if it has to do with the internship…it could just be that Palmer was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Tony pointed out.

"Get a warrant; search the Lt.'s place." Gibbs ordered as he headed out of the bull pen.

"Where ya' goin' boss," Tony called from around his phone.

"Tell the director we have a case." Gibbs called back without stopping.

**TBC-**


	5. A Second Car, Ch 5

**-CHAPTER 5-**

Ziva quietly slipped into the room and found the ME sleeping in a chair beside Palmers bed, and surprised to find Jimmy's eyes gazing at her.

"Palmer, you are awake!" she said in surprise, moving quickly to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Ziva's entrance into the room roused the sleeping doctor and he too looked to his young assistant with a growing smile

"Good to see you back with us young man." Ducky said, rising from his seat to stand over the young man.

Jimmy blinked several times trying to focus on the two people in the room, finally coming to rest on the doctor.

Do' tr…Ma..rd…?" Jimmy asked in a dry, rasping voice; setting off a painful bout of coughing.

Ducky and Ziva quickly helped Jimmy sit up.

"Here, my boy, don't try to speak…take a few sips of water." Ducky coaxed, holding up a cup of water to the struggling boys lips.

After a few sips the cough quieted and they gently laid Jimmy back down.

Though his throat was still dry, Jimmy rasped quietly. "Wha…hap' ned…?"

"You were in an automobile accident."

Jimmy's forehead creased in concentration as he attempted to remember.

"Accident…I don't remem…wait…" Jimmy became more agitated as flashes of the accident came back to him. "Wait…Shelly; Shelly was driving…where is she; is she all right…?"

Ducky put his hands on the agitated man's shoulders attempting to calm him down. "Easy, my boy…it will do your injuries no good to get yourself all worked up like this."

"Dr. Mallard…her name is Shelly Cort; please find out how…she…is…" Palmer looked uncertainly between the doctor and the agent when he noticed the pensive look pass between them. "What is it? What…is there something you're not telling me?"

When the tense silence continued, Jimmy pressed. "Dr. Mallard? Ziva?"

"Jimmy, my boy, I'm terribly sorry but…" the older man started only to be interrupted by Jimmy's disbelieving outburst.

"NO! No, she's not…she can't be…" Jimmy was again trying to rise from his bed.

"Palmer. Jimmy…" Ziva said quietly as she gently but firmly pushed the upset young man back onto the bed. "Jimmy, I am sorry; but your friend…she did not make it."

Shaking his head in disbelief Jimmy shut his eyes tight against the tears he couldn't quite stop. "I can't believe this. This cannot be happening."

"I am so terribly sorry Jimmy." Ducky said quietly, laying a hand on the injured man's shoulder.

A tense silence filled the room as Jimmy attempted to process the devastating news, giving Dr. Mallard a moment to discretely look over the young man, noticing his grimace of pain as he attempted to find a comfortable way to lay with his injuries.

"I am going to go fetch your doctor; get you something to help you sleep."

Jimmy did not respond to his mentors' words, causing Ducky to trade a concerned look with Ziva.

"I will stay with him Ducky." Ziva responded to the doctor's unspoken question.

When Ducky had left the room Ziva took a deep breath and pulled a chair up to Palmers bed.

He turned to look at her in surprise when she took his hand into hers, "Ziva?"

"I know that this is very difficult, but I must ask you what you remember from the crash?" she asked gently.

Jimmy wiped his free hand across his eyes to clear his vision. "Not much really, everything is a blurry haze right now."

"Go back to earlier in the day, before you and the Lt. got into the car. Where were you? Where were you driving too?"

Jimmy blew out a tired breath as he tried to grasp his hazy memories. "We, uh…we had ethics class today…they hold it in a meeting room at Bethesda since most of us are on clinical rotations there anyway."

"So after class you and Lt. Cort left in her car…" Ziva pressed.

"Uh, yeah…it was a pretty day…and we both had a few hours before either of us had to go work." Jimmy said with an absent smile, his eyes focused off on the far wall as he remembered. "Anyway, she wanted to take a drive out Cherry Hill Drive…said she'd been in D.C. for two years and had never seen the spring cherry blossoms…"

"So what happened…why did Lt. Cort lose control of the car?" Ziva asked.

"Lose control?" Jimmy questioned.

"The car was found over an embankment." Ziva prodded.

Trying to clear into his hazy memories, Jimmy scowled in concentration, giving a grimace of pain when his actions pulled on the stitches on his forehead.

His breath gave a sudden hitch as the flashes of clarity broke through the haze.

"Another car…Ziva, there was another car. It…it rammed into us; Shelly tried to keep us on the road…but the other car, it kept on coming at us…and the car; the brakes…she kept pumping the brakes…nothing happened..."

Lost to the sudden onslaught of flashing memories, Jimmy became more agitated and began hyperventilating.

"Can't…can…'t…brea…" Jimmy frantically grabbed for his chest as it became more difficult to pull in air.

"Palmer! Jimmy, Jimmy calm down…it is all right. You are safe now." Ziva said worriedly as she jumped from her chair and pulled him up into a sitting position to help his breathing.

Thoroughly distraught, Palmer grabbed onto the woman and buried his head in her shoulder as tears flooded his eyes; gasping out, "Didn't stop…he was…he didn't… trying to kill us…he did; he killed Shelly…oh, god, Shelly's dead…why?"

In an uncharacteristic show of compassion Ziva held the crying young man tighter and began rocking gently back and forth, gently caressing his hair. "Sshh…calm down. You are safe now…and we will get whoever it was that hurt you."

She looked up sharply when the door opened a few moments later, her eyes immediately locking on the senior ME and then nodding her head to his IV line.

Ducky took in the scene with the practiced eye of a caregiver and quietly relieved the nurse of the syringe, coming quietly into the room and emptying the sedative into the IV port.

A few moments later, Jimmy's breathing evened out and Ducky helped Ziva lever the patient comfortably back into his bed.

After checking to see that the young man was finally sleeping peacefully Ducky turned a questioning and slightly accusing eye to his co-worker.

"I am sorry, Ducky. I did not mean to upset him." Ziva explained sheepishly. "I only asked him what he could remember from the crash."

Giving a sigh, Ducky said. "I know it was not your intent to upset him, but you must realize that while Jimmy's injuries are not life threatening they are still serious; coupled with learning his friend is dead…he needs time to process. He is not up to any kind of interrogation, no matter how well meaning, at the moment."

"Yes Ducky and I am sorry." she said contritely, pulling out her cell. "But he just gave us an important detail."

**TBC-**


	6. Chapter 6 The Evening News

**-CHAPTER 6-**

The lounge area was nearly empty despite being the dinner hour. The five o'clock news played in the background.

"_NCIS is investigating an early morning car accident on Cherry Hill Drive that killed a Navy Lt. and seriously injured her passenger. Lt. Sherry Cort was killed and her passenger, assistant ME to NCIS, James Palmer was seriously injured in a crash authorities are calling suspicious. The crash happened around ten am this morning on a straight stretch of Cherry Hill Drive, the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle and it went over a steep embankment hitting a small grove of trees." _the news announcer reported.

"_And in other news…."_

"Turn it off." a tired voice demanded.

Dr. Monica Sharpe did as instructed before turning to her friend and colleague. "God, this is just so awful…NCIS doesn't think it was an accident, who'd want to hurt Sherry and Jimmy?"

Cameron just shook his head.

"Does Jim remember what happened?" Monica pressed.

"Dr. Peterson can barely keep him stabilized…every time he regains consciousness he becomes so agitated his stats go off the charts." Cameron remarked tiredly, rubbing his hands over his face. "They think he might know subconsciously what happened but is afraid to face it."

"But he will remember…eventually?" Delmar pressed.

"They think so, it just might take time, and when he does, hopefully he can tell us what happened," the young man said angrily, running hands down his tired face; his voice cracking as he continued, "It's…god, it's bad enough…Shelly; Shelly, being downstairs. I hope to god Jim doesn't join her."

"Yeah, that **would** be_ most_ unfortunate," Delmar commented pointedly.

**TBC-**


	7. Chapter 7 Searching for Clues

**-CHAPTER 7-**

"You're certain?" Gibbs asked.

"Palmer clearly remembered a second car that ran them off the road." Ziva reported.

"Get a description?"

"No. Jimmy was very… distraught." Ziva said, adding contritely. "Ducky had to give him a sedative."

"Stay with him. This killer went through an awful lot of effort to take out the Lt., if our killer knows there's a witness…" Gibbs let the statement hang.

"I will keep him safe, Gibbs." Ziva promised before hanging up the phone.

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"It doesn't make sense, all the sabotage to the car." McGee commented, as he and Tony began their search of the Lt.'s apartment, "the killer would have to know it would be discovered during an investigation."

"Unless the killer figured it would just be ruled an accident and there wouldn't be an investigation." Tony said as he skimmed through the unopened mail, "Not everyone is a criminal mastermind."

"But still, the killer couldn't be sure that the sabotage wouldn't be discovered…all accidents are investigated." McGee pressed as he moved into the bedroom area.

"No, but most accidents are only given a cursory investigation if there is no outward sign of foul play." Tony informed his teammate as he began looking through the desk drawers, pulling out a large clasp envelope, "This one might have been the same…there were no skid marks, no 911 calls; if Palmer hadn't been in the car..."

"Then it would have been ruled accidental; except for Gibbs gut," McGee finished, as he came back into the living room and headed to the laptop on the desk while Tony pulled what appeared to be cards and letters from the envelope.

"The fact that someone tried to take out one of our own," Tony said tightly as he flipped through the contents of the envelope, "And it's Palmer, he wouldn't hurt a fly…"

"If you're planning on running a car off the road anyway…cause it to crash, why so much overkill?" McGee mused aloud as he booted up the laptop.

"Just running the car off the road doesn't guarantee your victim dies, with a functioning seatbelt and airbag you could walk away from a crash…the sabotage guarantees that the victim doesn't walk away." Tony said, as he unfolded an official looking piece of paper and scanned it.

"So then why run the car off the road when all the sabotage would guarantee a crash, eventually." McGee pressed, looking up at Tony, "It just seems like so much overkill."

"Because someone really, really had it in for the Lt." Tony commented grimly, handing Tim the paper.

"It's a police report...alleging our Lt. might have had a stalker..." McGee said.

"I'm starting to think this was definitely personal," Tony said.

**TBC-**


	8. Chapter 8 A Terrifying Memory

**-CHAPTER 8-**

Frustration was evident in the clipped stride and scowl on Gibbs face as he strode down the hospital floor. Abby had found nothing new in her investigation of the Lt.'s car and the one clue that Jimmy had managed to give them was not panning out. All three JH candidates had alibis for the time of the accident.

Gibbs entered the hospital room quietly, taking in the scene in one sweep. Jimmy was sleeping somewhat fitfully, while the older doctor dozed in a chair by the bed. Ziva was standing in the far corner by a window, the late evening shadows helping to hide her in the dimly lit room.

"Gibbs." Ziva said, moving out into the room.

"Ziva." he answered as succinctly. "Been quiet?"

"Yes." she reported quietly. "He did have several visitors stop by to check on him…some of the doctors he works with here at the hospital, they mostly talked with Ducky, as Palmer has been sedated for most of the afternoon."

"Tony and McGee are already at the Lt.'s apartment, meet them there…I want every inch of that place gone over." Gibbs ordered.

Accepting the order with a nod, Gibbs noticed a thoughtful look come across his agents face, "Something else?"

"Should we not also check out Palmer's place?" she asked, "Since we do not know for certain if this attack was directed solely at the Lt. or at both of them."

Gibbs nodded. "Good call. Check out both of them."

As Ziva slipped out the door, Gibbs turned to the other two occupants of the room, noticing then that Ducky was awake and watching him.

"So, how goes the investigation?" Ducky asked quietly.

"Slowly," Gibbs huffed in frustration, coming to stand at the foot of the hospital bed. "How's he doin', Duck?"

"As well as can be expected for what he's been through. His physical injuries are not life threatening, he should recover nicely…" Ducky reported, as he rose and fussed over the patient.

"But…" Gibbs prompted.

"Emotionally, it seems, will be another story entirely." Ducky finished, his hand coming to rest lightly on Jimmy's bandaged arm. "As with what we witnessed earlier, he becomes extremely distressed every time he regains consciousness."

"PTSD?" Gibbs asked.

"Possibly; I know that this was a frightful experience…it would be for anyone; but his fear and agitation seem to be somewhat out of proportion to the incident." Ducky mused, looking down at the young man. "He did not show this level of agitation when he was shot at, at the construction site."

"He is on some pretty heavy pain killers Duck, and he's no doubt reliving it in his dreams." Gibbs countered. "He just needs time to get it all straight in his head."

"I suppose your right Jethro…" Ducky mused absently.

Their attention refocused on Jimmy as his fitful sleep was becoming more restless.

Ducky took the young man's hand in his, placing his other on Jimmy's forehead, "Mr. Palmer…Jimmy, Jimmy, wake up for me now…you are in the hospital…you're safe now."

Gibbs moved to the opposite side of the bed to lend his support, "Palmer…wake up."

The soft, yet stern tone seemed to flip a switch and the young man shot straight up out of bed with a startled yell. "No…stop! C. J. …stop….noooo"

"Jimmy!" Ducky exclaimed, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Jimmy, you are all right my boy…calm down, you're in the hospital."

Jimmy was breathing heavily, his eyes darting around the room in fear. Gibbs could clearly see tremors coursing through the young man's body.

"Palmer, you with us," Gibbs asked, reaching out to gently guide the young man's face so their eyes met. "Jimmy look at me."

Jimmy's wide eyes slowly locked onto Gibbs, as he slowly came back to himself.

"Agent Gibbs?" he croaked out in confusion before turning to his mentor, who was still holding his shoulders. "Dr. Mallard?"

"That's it my boy…now let's lay you back down…" Ducky said as he gently pushed Jimmy back down onto his bed, fussing with the bedclothes then turning to his monitors.

"These nightmares are keeping you from a proper rest lad; we must get you something to sleep."

Palmer just turned away from the doctor, closing his eyes tight against the thoughts running through his head.

"They're not _just_ nightmares are they Jimmy?" Gibbs prodded. "You remember something, don't you?"

Jimmy felt trapped, his mentor on one side of his bed Gibbs on the other and his memories assaulting him whether awake or asleep.

He brought his injured arms up to either side of his head in an attempt to hide from everything, "No…just…no. I don't want to think about it." Jimmy pleaded.

Gibbs gently took Palmer's arms and pried them away from his face, his voice quiet yet commanding. "Look at me Palmer. What is it you remember? Did you see who did this…do you know who it was that ran you and the Lt. off the road? Who is CJ?"

Jimmy slowly opened his eyes to look at the older agent and Gibbs was momentarily taken back by the raw emotion in the young man's eyes.

"Why? Why would he do this…?" Jimmy whispered hoarsely.

"Who Palmer; who did this," Gibbs pressed quietly.

"He loved her…he said he loved her…he was my, I thought he was my friend…" Jimmy's voice was barely a whisper, so choked with emotion.

Palmer was suddenly lost in the memory, "It was the car; would recognize the car anywhere…he treats it like a baby. I saw the car coming up really fast behind us. I thought how strange it was because he was on call at the hospital…then…then; the car rammed us. After that I really don't remember much."

Ducky and Gibbs exchanged knowing glances, realizing now why Jimmy was so traumatized by the accident. Palmer knew the assailant…knew him well enough to consider him a friend; and this friend had tried to kill him: did kill the woman next to him."

"Did you see his face...are you certain?" Gibbs pressed.

"It was the car! It was his car...I saw his car..." Jimmy exclaimed angrily his agitation causing machines to loudly sound out the spike in his respiration and heart rate.

Taking the distraught young man's head in his hands, Gibbs looked Jimmy in the eye and asked gently. "Jimmy, calm down...just tell us who you say; tell me his name Palmer."

"Cameron, Cameron Jenkins." Jimmy huffed out breathily.

**TBC-**


	9. Chapter 9--A Theory

**-CHAPTER 9-**

"Cameron Jenkins? You mean Dr. Jenkins that works here at Bethesda?" Ducky asked in surprise.

Jimmy just nodded his voice quiet and strained as he continued, "He…uh, he's a resident at the hospital…I've had a few classes with him and he's currently on a surgical rotation at Bethesda."

"Oh, dear! Jethro, Dr. Jenkins has been in and out of here all day checking on our young lad here." Ducky said with worry and no small amount of anger.

"Damn it," Gibbs exclaimed angrily, his mind on how many times throughout the day that Palmer's assailant had access to his victim.

"That could explain the restless sleep and agitation." Ducky said, looking at the agent as he flipped open his phone. "The first time it happened…Dr. Jenkins was in the room; Mr. Palmer became agitated at the sound of Cameron Jenkins voice."

Gibbs nodded grimly as he ordered his agents, "DiNozzo, the rest of the Lt.'s apartment will have to wait; gear up and meet me at the hospital."

Palmer had looked on in confusion during the brief exchange between the men, before the meaning of their conversation sunk in to his addled thoughts.

"He was here? CJ's been here!" Jimmy said fearfully.

"It's quite all right, my boy, you've not been alone at any time today." Ducky said, laying a comforting hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "Ziva was with us both for most of the day."

The agent then redialed, "This is Agent Gibbs, NCIS. Connect me with security."

While he waited to be transferred, Gibbs asked. "What kind of car does Jenkins drive?"

"A 1969 Impala…silver-gray," Jimmy answered.

"Why would Jenkins target the Lt.?"

"I don't know…it doesn't make sense…" Jimmy exclaimed in growing agitation. "They were engaged…"

"Cort and Jenkins were engaged?" Gibbs reiterated, "How long?"

"Uh…a few months maybe," Palmer answered slowly.

Turning his attention back to his phone he barked. "Agent Gibbs, NCIS, I need you to locate and detain a Dr. Cameron Jenkins. Call at this number when you have him."

Snapping his phone shut, Gibbs turned back to Jimmy. "How long have they known each other? Did you notice any problems lately? Were they getting along?"

Gibbs ticked off the questions in rapid succession, causing Jimmy to wince at the onslaught of questions.

Jimmy shook his head in a daze, his agitation growing. "I…I don't know…fine. At least, they seemed…I mean I thought they were fine…we were just casual friends…really didn't do much outside of the hospital and class…we've all been out to dinner, ya' know…or late night study sessions…but we didn't hang out. No one had time."

"So, then, you _didn't_ know them well?" Gibbs clarified, while his mind began flipping through new theories. "Why were _you_ with the Lt.?"

"Uh…well, neither of us had to be anywhere til that afternoon and she asked if I wanted to take a drive…"

"Was that an unusual request for her?" Gibbs asked.

Jimmy shook his head slightly. "No…yes, well, sorta. Like I said, we didn't have a lot of free time for socializing. She did ask me about my job at NCIS, asked me if knew any agents."

"How was the Lt. acting; did she seem scared or nervous?" Gibbs prodded.

Jimmy scowled in concentration. "She seemed…well, she did seem a little distracted, maybe a little…well, agitated I guess you'd call it."

"Agitated how?" Gibbs prodded.

"Well, she really wasn't acting scared…I mean she wasn't looking over her shoulder or anything…but she just seemed kind of uptight." Jimmy answered with a shrug.

"Was she angry?"

"No…wouldn't say angry either."

"What exactly would you call it then Palmer?" Gibbs asked with mounting frustration.

"She seemed like she had something on her mind. I don't know, she kept acting like she maybe wanted to talk about something, but didn't know how to start, I guess. " Jimmy said.

"How did Mr. Jenkins feel about Ms. Cort receiving the nomination for the internship?" Ducky asked, his mind conjuring up his own theories.

"We really didn't talk about it much…come to think of it…outside of the day we received the nominations, neither of them mentioned it." Jimmy commented.

"Why not? I thought this nomination was a big deal?" Gibbs asked. "Is there some reason it wouldn't be discussed? Did anything happen that day?"

"They…well; they sort of got into an argument that night. Cameron wanted Shelly to withdraw her name…" Jimmy said hesitantly.

"Was he jealous?"

"Oh, no, just the opposite…he was very proud of her nomination. We all went out to dinner that night to celebrate." Jimmy replied. "That's when the argument started, cause Cameron made the wise crack that the only reason me or Monica had a chance was because his girl would have to drop out of the running."

"So, if he wasn't jealous, what was the problem?"

"Cameron is in line for the chief residency position in surgery here at Bethesda…" Jimmy started to explain. "He and Shelly had just gotten engaged…then the position at Johns Hopkins came up…"

"Throwing a wrench in all their plans," Gibbs surmised.

"Yeah, I guess." Jimmy said quietly. "I don't understand…why do this…she was near the top of the list, sure, but there were other candidates…Shelly wasn't assured the position."

"Answer this; was there any chance Jenkins would have gone with the Lt. if she was awarded the position?" Ducky asked.

"No. That was one sure thing _we all knew_…Cameron has always had his eye on the Chief residency at Bethesda, since he was an undergrad; something about it being a family tradition. He wouldn't give it up for anything."

"Not even for his fiancée?" Gibbs asked.

After a moment, Jimmy slowly shook his head. "Not even for Shelly."

"That might just be the answer to that question." Ducky said.

"So he won't give up his position at the hospital and won't give up his girlfriend." Gibbs summarized, as he answered his ringing phone. "Gibbs."

"Shelly's dead for a bunch of maybes," Jimmy said sadly.

"I am sorry my boy." Ducky said quietly. "Let's get you settled, you need some rest."

Giving the agent an expectant look Gibbs answered Ducky's unspoken question. "They have him downstairs."

Ducky nodded his understanding as Gibbs turned to leave.

**TBC-**


	10. Chapter 10 Interrogation

**-CHAPTER 10-**

Always one to leave his suspects stewing, Gibbs first stopped in personnel to retrieve the doctors file and surgery schedule before calling his team for an update and new orders.

Seeing the agent, Dr. Jenkins rose from his seat, asking with confusion and agitation clear in his voice. "What's going on? Why did security come and drag me out of records-on your orders?"

Coming to the table and taking the seat opposite, Gibbs said tightly. "Sit down."

"I want to know what's going on Agent Gibbs." Cameron demanded, not moving to take his seat. "Wait…Jim, is Jim all right? Did he take a turn…did something happen?"

"Oh, something happened all right. Jimmy remembered what happened…" Gibbs said casually, before turning to stare Jenkins down, "...he remembered who tried to murder him."

"Murder him! Are you saying that it wasn't an accident?" Jenkins asked slowly, collapsing into his chair.

Gibbs flipped open the file on the table. "So where were you between 10 and 12 today?"

"What? I've been in surgery all day." Cameron answered in confusion.

"Want to try that again, Dr. Jenkins." Gibbs said. "Your nine thirty surgery was cancelled; you didn't have another surgery scheduled until noon."

"You looked into my surgery schedule; why?" the young doctor exclaimed.

"The accident happened at approximately 10 am." Gibbs said pointedly.

Jenkins suddenly sat up straighter in his chair, giving the agent a surprised and angry look. "Wait, you think I had something to do with the accident?"

Gibbs sat back and quirked a questioning eyebrow at the young man. "Did you?"

Jenkins jumped up from his seat and began pacing. "Are you out of your mind? Shelly was my fiancée…Jim is my friend, for god's sake; why would I try to kill either of them?"

"John's Hopkins," Gibbs said.

"The internship," Jenkins asked in confusion. "Why would I try to kill them for that, I wasn't on the nomination list?"

"No, but you are up for chief resident of surgery here at Bethesda…and your girlfriend is being offered a prestigious internship in New York," Gibbs supplied, "Had to put a crimp in those wedding plans."

"You think I killed her because she _might_ win an internship? It was a terrific opportunity for her." Jenkins shot back.

"Yeah, so terrific that you told her to withdraw her name," Gibbs shot back.

"What…how'd you know about that?"

"And I know about the argument." Gibbs added.

"God, I cannot believe this." Jenkins said with exasperation. "Yea, we had an argument…it wasn't a big deal."

Gibbs phone rang, momentarily halting the interrogation.

"Gibbs." the agent listened for a minute before responding. "Yeah, then come on in to security."

"I can't believe this is happening...why would Jim think I did this?" Jenkins said half to himself.

"Maybe because of this..." Gibbs said holding out his cell for Jenkins to see the picture Tony just sent him.

"What? Wait, that's my car...what the hell...who wrecked my car," Jenkins exclaimed angrily, grabbing the phone to get a closer look.

Gibbs just raised an eyebrow at the man's outburst, but continued with his questioning, "And when we tow your car to the lab what do you think we'll find? It's easy enough to match paint scrapings..."

"What, what are you saying?" Cameron asked.

"I'm saying when we match up the paint from the bumper of your car to Lt. Corts' car you're looking at charges of murder and attempted murder."

"I. Did. Not. Try. Too. Kill Shelly or Jim," Jenkins enunciated each word, angrily hitting the table with his finger at each word; he then ran a hand through his short cropped hair as he continued, his voice taking on a pleading quality, "Look, there has to be some way to prove it...prove I never left the hospital...the garage cameras, right, they'd show who took my car..."

"Oh, we are...I like my cases nice and airtight." Gibbs said, leaning into Jenkins personal space, "You made a mistake killing a soldier on my watch...but your real mistake was trying to take out one of my people."

Jenkins's looked into Gibbs tight angry face and repeated quietly, "I swear to you, I didn't do it."

**TBC-**


	11. Chapter 11 A Clue in Hand

**-CHAPTER 11-**

Gibbs left Jenkins with the MP's and joined his agents in hospital security.

"Boss, we cleaned out Jenkins' locker, sent it over to Abby to process." Tony reported.

"I pulled up the camera in the garage where Jenkins parks his car...you're not gonna like it." McGee said from his place at the monitor.

"I don't like anything about this case McGee," Gibbs snarked. "Just show me what you got."

McGee set up the feed to rerun on the screen and the agents watched the grainy feed of the garage showing nothing out of the ordinary at first but a moment later they caught a glimpse of a hooded figure in the lower left corner before the feed went black.

"What the hell," Gibbs exclaimed.

"Whoever was in the garage when Jenkins car was taken from the building knew exactly where the cameras were located," McGee explained.

Tony, a thoughtful look on his face, asked McGee, "What about the rest of the garage? Pull up the camera's for the rest of the garage for the next five minutes after the camera went down; if you tried to disable the whole garage that would immediately alert security..."

"So, we might be able to get a shot of the driver on the other floors as they exit the building." Ziva finished Tony's thought.

The team spent the next twenty minutes pouring over video feed, looking for a shot of Jenkins' car and the clear shot of the driver."

"Wait...stop, there...back it up..." Gibbs suddenly demanded. "There, stop it there."

The other agents looked at the video in confusion, trying to understand what their boss was seeing.

"Uh, boss, it's the same as all the other shots...no real view of the driver..." Tony finally said.

"McGee, can you zoom in there," Gibbs asked, pointing the area around the steering wheel.

While McGee keyed in the commands, Tony and Ziva exchanged confused looks.

"There," Gibbs said triumphantly.

Again all three agents looked at the screen, the looks on their faces showing they still didn't understand what their boss was seeing.

"Uh, boss...it's a hand..." Tony said, "A hand covered in those clear, hospital gloves so we can't even get prints."

"It's what's not on the hand DiNozzo. Jenkins' is telling the truth." Gibbs said, turning to McGee he ordered, "Give me a copy of this frame."

The three agents looked at each other in confusion before Ziva questioned, "But Palmer saw him..."

"No, Palmer saw the car...not the driver," Gibbs reminded his agents. "He knows the driver of the car..."

"So when Palmer saw the car he just assumed it was Jenkins driving," McGee said.

Tony thought for a moment then scowled, "It that's true and we have the wrong guy..."

"Palmer is still in danger." Gibbs finished.

**TBC-**


	12. Chapter 12 Innocent

**-CHAPTER 12-**

Gibbs strode back into the area where Jenkins was being held and barked out, "Let me see your left hand."

"What?" Jenkins asked in confusion.

"I said-let me see your left hand." Gibbs ordered again."

Confusion clearly evident on the young man's face Jenkins slowly raised his left hand.

Gibbs then nodded and tossed a picture across the table. "You didn't do it."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you..." Jenkins snapped back, as he stopped the picture from sliding off the table. "What's this?"

"Proof," Gibbs replied. "Now we just need to figure out who wanted you to take the rap for your finances murder."

"Wait...are you saying someone murdered Shelly...tried to kill Jim, because of me—to get to me?" Jenkins said in horror, "But why?"

"You tell me," Gibbs asked.

**TBC-**


	13. Chapter 13 Abby Chimes In

**-CHAPTER 13-**

The clock on the wall showed the agents had been hard at work on this case for nearly twelve hours and were not going to stop until the person responsible for Jimmy's accident and the death of a soldier was apprehended.

"What have you got for me Abs," Gibbs asked as he strode into the lab, a Caf-Pow in his hand.

Pulling up a few photo's on the screen she said. "Here's a picture of our suspects hand from the garage video, and here is a picture of Cameron Jenkins hand—clearly his is bigger and has his engagement ring on it...That's so sweet, they gave each other engagement rings..."

Gibbs just rolled his eyes. "Abs..."

"Yeah, right...evidence," Abby then moved towards the evidence table, "I found hairs inside the hoodie you took from Jenkins locker, which in and of it itself is not hinky...we all shed hair and skin every day. What is hinky is this..."

Gibbs looked at the evidence bag Abby was holding and raised a questioning eye, "What I'm I lookin' at Abs?"

"You're looking at a group of tangled strands of hair."

"How is that significant?" Gibbs asked.

"If you put on a hood and pull it off a few strands are going to come off inside the hood, but these strands are tangled, and show signs of stretching..." Abby explained expectantly.

When Gibbs still looked at her blankly she sighed in frustration and grabbed a nearby hairbrush and ran it roughly through his hair.

Dodging away from the forensic scientist, Gibbs exclaimed, "What the...what are you doing?"

She held up the brush with a smile and pulled his hair from the brush, "When you brush your hair the brush pulls and stretches the strands, pulling some out in little tangled clumps...now I've tested all the hair; of course some belongs to Jenkins and Cort, but this tangle mess doesn't belong to either of them, but no one would leave this kind of tangled clump just by putting on and pulling off a hood."

"So, someone borrowed his jacket and his car." Gibbs surmised.

"Give me something to compare it to and I can tell you who these other hair strands belong to." Abby said.

"Working on it," He said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, "Good job, Abs."

**TBC-**


	14. Chapter 14 A Woman Scorned

**-CHAPTER 14-**

The NCIS crew was waiting in the doctor's lounge/locker room when the three doctors came in.

"What's going on," Dr. Delmar asked. "Why did you call us all in here?"

"We're trying to catch a killer." Tony snarked,

"But you arrested Cameron yesterday, so why are you still here?" Dr. Delmar asked.

"Well, not everything is adding up so we need some input from his colleagues..." Tony said pointedly, "To help fit the pieces together."

With a coy smile, Dr. Sharpe stated, "Then, by all means how can we help."

"Well, you can start by explaining this," Tony said as he tossed a photo on the table.

The two male doctors exchanged puzzled looks before looking at Sharpe, who demanded angrily, "How did you get that picture?"

"Searched Jenkins apartment...it's amazing what a man will say when he's been accused of murder," Tony said pointedly, "All the dark secrets he's willing to admit to..."

"So then you know the bastard cheated on me..." She said angrily.

"That wasn't quite his version..." McGee started to comment, but was interrupted by Sharpe.

"Of course it wasn't..." she ground out, "and of course you boys are going to stick together."

"Yeah, well I'm more thinking it might have been that restraining order he took out six months ago that might have put a crimp in your relationship," Tony said cheekily.

"It was a misunderstanding...we settled it and he withdrew the order...we've moved past it; even became friends." Sharpe replied.

"Had to be hard though, seeing him with the Lt.; first she steals your boyfriend, then they get engaged, then to top off all that you have to compete with her for the internship," Tony explained casually, "I mean really, just how much can one person take."

"So I kill her...what would I gain from that, it doesn't guarantee me the internship...doesn't change mine and Cameron's relationship," Monica shot back.

"But it does satisfy that need for revenge...I saw "Fatal Attraction"...the scorned woman is a dangerous beast." Tony quipped.

"You're wrong," was all she said.

"Maybe, there is the problem of the timing. We checked all your schedules for that day...seems you had the same gap as Jenkins that cancelled surgery..." McGee said

"We were both supposed to assist Dr. Nelson but the patient developed and infection, it was postponed..." Monica explained. "I came to the lounge to get some sleep."

"Yeah, hospital security clearly showed you entering the room." Tony agreed, adding, "But there is more than one door leading in and out of the sleep area."

"So you killed Shelly," Delmar said in exaggerated shock.

"No!" the woman shouted.

"So you wouldn't mind giving us a DNA and hair sample then...for comparison," Tony asked lightly.

"Not without a warrant," the woman shot back angrily.

"Thought you didn't have anything to hide...if that's the case then the samples will clear you of any involvement in all of this," Tony replied casually.

"Or provide your lab with samples to guarantee a conviction," She said.

"Only if you're guilty...are you guilty?" Tony asked, quirking an expectant eye at the woman.

**...NCIS...**

a/n: couple more chapters and it will be done, but this is the last chapter that has been completed so it may be a few days before I get an ending written...


	15. And the Killer Is

**Accidently on Purpose**

Chapter 15

_**a/n:**__ okay, seriously, I just gotta to ask...this is the third Jimmy story I've posted...the first was an actual NCIS case story that involved the whole team (Prey and Predator)...and in my opinion, a much better thought out plot than this one that I just kinda threw together...So I gotta know-why is this one getting so many more hits than the other one? Is it because it is too long? Do I need to take down "Prey & Predator" and repost it in smaller chapter format...or what?_

_a/n: so, anyway, sorry about the long wait...the ideas just fizzled out for awhile...this chapter should finish it up...and I'm falling back on an old tv trick of the "investigation" taking place off screen so the chapter is all about the "reveal" (kinda like the epi where the woman distracted all the sailors while her accomplish dragged the dead body through the ship...way back in season one or two cause Kate was still alive)_

**...NCIS DC...**

"You killed Shelly..." Delmar exclaimed, backing away from the woman.

"No! No, I didn't kill anyone," the woman shot back in frustration,

"One little hair sample will clear it right up..." Tony stated, as he

"How...?" the woman asked suspicioulsy.

"Were checking hair samples against samples found in the lining of Jenkins hoodie..." Tim said, "you give us a sample and we can rule you out..."

"Providing of course you didn't do it..." Tony interjected.

Dr. Sharpe looked at the two men pointedly, clearly undecided, prompting Tim to say, "Dr. Sharpe we can get a court order to compel the sample...but it wouldn't look good for you..."

Eying the men for a moment longer, she huffed angrily, "fine, you can have your damn sample...I didn't kill Shelly..."

"Then you have absolutely nothing to worry about..." Tim replied, holding out the evidence bag.

The doctor pulled a few strands of hair and placed them in the bag.

"Thank you, Doctor...we'll be in touch..." Tony said as he and Tim.

"You sure that was a good idea, without a lawyer present or something...?" Delmar asked.

"I didn't do it, Frank..." Monica snapped.

Frank reached out and laid a hand on Monica's arm, saying gently, "Listen, these last few days have been hard on everyone...why don't you come over tonight and..."

Shrugging off his touch, Monica replied, "No...Frank, just no...this is not the time...we've been over this already..."

"For gods sake Monica, I wasn't trying to get in your pants...just thought we could get together...you know, offer moral support..." Frank shot back angrily.

"Look, the ones that need our support right now are Cameron and Jim..." Monica replied, unperturbed by the man's outburst, "if you want to be a friend why don't you start there..."

Frank watched Monica leave the lounge, when the door closed, he ran his hand over the nearby table scattering its contents across the room. Running his hands down his face he growled out angrily, "wouldn't be to sure of that, bitch..."

**...ncis la...**

"Your right, Gibbs, the hair in the hoodie matches the sample we got from Monica Sharpe...but why would someone purposefully pur a clump of their hair where we would find it...?" Abby reported.

"They wouldn't," Gibbs replied succinctly.

"So, someone is setting up Dr. Sharpe...why?" Abby asked with confusion, "someone's going through an awful lot of trouble...first sabatoging the car, then setting up the fiancee...now the fiancee's ex-girlfriend; someone really doesn't like these people, and poor Jimmy got caught up in the middle of it..."

Turning to face her team leader, Abby crinkled her face in anger, "you need to catch them Gibbs...they hurt Jimmy...!"

Reaching over to give her a peck on the cheek he said quietly, "working on it Abs..."

**...ncis...**

"So what now boss...it's not Jenkin's or Sharpe...who does that leave...?" Tony asked.

"We dig deeper...someone systematically went after the Lt, her fiancee and even the ex...someone had to gain something from getting these people out of the picture..." Gibbs answered.

"...maybe its not so much what this person would gain..." Ziva interjected thoughtfully, "maybe its more personal than that..."

"Revege...why...?" Tony asked.

"We suspected Dr. Jenkins of killing his fiancee because he was jealous...then Dr. Sharpe of setting up Jenkins because of jealousy..." Ziva explained.

"So now we look at who was jealous of Monica Sharpe...if that's the case why not use her car...her clothes...?" Tim questioned.

A thoughtful look on his face, Gibbs said off-handedly, "a woman can wear a man's clothes...to set him up..."

"Ah, but if a man wants to set up a woman...not such a good fit..." Tony said in that 'ah-ha' way, "so maybe Jenkins was just an afterthought..."

"Or someone thought they could take out two for the price of one..." Abby's voice suddenly interjected.

Turning towards the forensics scientist, Gibbs asked, "got something else for us Abby?"

"I went back over the hoodie...we were mostly looking at the hood-the best place to get hair and DNA samples..." Abby explained relunctantly.

"Abby...?" Gibbs prodded.

"We were so focused on Dr. Jenkins, then the lady doctor..." Abby again prattled.

Raising an eyebrow in equal frustration, Tim said impatiently.

"I looked for prints on the hoodie...well the zipper part...and I ran them against all the doctors at the hospital..." Abby said.

"And..." Gibbs asked expectantly.

"I got a hit..." she said.

He nodded, turning towards the plasma, "put it up..."

**...ncis...**

"So, what is it I can help you with Agent DiNozzo...?" Dr. Delmar asked as the two men came off the elevator.

"We ran Dr. Sharpes hair sample..." Tony started to say only to be interrupted when the smaller man stopped and laid a hand on the agents arm, stopping them.

"She did it didn't she...I knew it..." the doctor said, a hint of smugness in his voice, "so what can I help you with...?"

"Just need to run some things by you, Delmar..."Gibbs said, patting the chair in front of his, "have a seat doc."

Delmar sat quickly and looked up at the agents expectantly, "so what can I do to help...Agent DiNozzo said you matched Monica'a hair sample from the hoodie..."

Gibbs exchanged a look with his SFA, who replied, "I didn't say anything of the sort, Boss..."

"Well...I just assumed...you said you ran the sample..." Frank said slowly.

"Oh, we ran the sample...and it was Dr. Sharpes...but it didn't come from her head, it came from her hairbrush..." Gibbs said in his knowing tone, "...the hair in the hoodie was stretched...not shed naturally..."

"Oh..." Frank intoned.

"Of course then their is the hospital footage in the hall outside the lounge and locker area..." Tony supplied, clicking the remote to activate the plasma...it showed the female doctor going into the locker room and twenty minutes later a figure ducking back out in the hoodie in question.

"So you have her on camera..." Frank said, a hint of relief in his voice.

"Well, we have _someone_ on camera...but when we ran a telemetry program against the background objects, we discovered that the person coming out was too short to be Dr. Sharpe..." Tim said.

"So, it's not Monica...?" The doctor asked hesitantly, rubbing his hands across his thighs.

"Something wrong there, Delmar...?" Tony asked, adding, "you're not looking too good..."

"You ruled out Cameron, now you're saying it's not Monica...what, you're gonna tell me Palmer wrecked the car or something...?" Delmar said in a weak attempt at levity.

Without warning, Gibbs grabbed the back of the chair the doctor was sitting in and forcefully spun the seat, causing the man to nearly fall our of it.

"What the hell...?" the doctor exclaimed angrily.

Instead of answering, Gibbs dropped several file folders in the mans lap.

"What's this...?" the man asked, catching the files before they spilled out onto the floor.

"Motive..." Gibbs deadpanned, nodding towards the files.

"See, the top one is one of several restraining orders that the lovely Dr. Sharpe took out against you..." Tony said.

"So, we had a few misunderstandings...what's that prove...?" the doctor said impatiently.

"Seems to be going around in this little group," Ziva commented, shooting a look towards her partner."

"So not only does she say I love you with these lovely restraining orders, but then you loose the girl to the dashing young Dr. Cameron Jenkins...who swoops in takes away any last chance of woeing said pretty doctor..." Tony explained with a flourish.

"Yeah, right, it didn't take him long to figure out ol' Monica and dump her," the doctor countered, "We guys need to stick together against the likes of women like Monica...real user that one is...you know that Cameron had to take out restraininng orders against her when he started dating Shelly?"

"Oh, we know..." Gibbs replied, "but by then it was more than just about a woman...you and Cameron Jenkins were in the running for the chief residency job..."

"Course it was already pretty cut and dry who was going to get the position..." TIm interjected, adding, "besides being top of his class, Jenkins grandfather had also been chief resident..."

"First the girl then the job..." Tony said with a sigh, "that's gotta be rough...and the the coup-de-gra...the internship...competing against the woman who started it all..."

"Wait...just wait a minute here," the doctor jumped from his seat, holding his hands out defensively, "you think I did this... caused the accident...killed Shelly, hurt Jim..."

"Oh, we don't think, doctor, we know..." Gibbs said evenly, tossing the hoodie on the desk in front of him, "you forgot the gloves..."

"What..."

"You did good, Delmar...playing up all the drama between the Lt and Jenkins, the restraining order that Jenkins took out on Sharpe, planting Sharpes hair in the hoodie, hiding your face from the cameras...remembering the gloves when you stole Jenkins car..." Tony ticked off.

"But you forget about the zipper...you figured everyone would be so focused on all the other stuff...you zipped up the hoodie without using gloves..." Tim said, tapping some keys to show Delmars hospital photo and a copy of the hospitals fingerprint background check, "your fingerprints for your job match the prints on the zipper."

The doctor looked at the plasma, then looked at the agents, his tone low and angry, "everything...they were taking

Going to stand in front of the angry man, Gibbs said, "now I'm taking everything. DiNozzo, get him out of here..."

"With pleasure, boss," Tony answered, grabbing the man and shoving him roughly around to cuff him.

Hanging his head, Delmar said tonelessly, "if it's any consolation, Jim wasn't supposed to get hurt...he wasn't even supposed to be in the car..."

"And the Lt., what about her...what's she ever do to you..." Tony responed gruffly, pushing the man towards the elevator.

**...Epilogue...**

The day was overcast, the breeze gentle but constant as the mourners slowly made there way from the grave site.

Reaching down to clasp Jimmy's hand, Cameron said, "Thanks for coming Jim...but should you really be out of the hospital already?"

Jimmy looked up at Tony, whose hands were resting on the handles of the wheelchair, before looking up at his friend, "I'm doing well enough...staying with Dr. Mallard; I couldn't miss the funeral."

Cameron just nodded, "Thanks for being here..."

Jimmy and Tony both nodded as Monica came up to the small group, giving Cameron's arm a gently squeeze before bending down to give Jimmy a gentle kiss on the cheek, "glad to see you doing better."

"Thanks..." Jimmy replied, looking pointedly at his two friends, "so what now...?"

"I was offered the chief resident position..." Camerson said, "I thought about turning it down..."

"No..." Jimmy exclaimed.

Shaking his head, Cameron replied quickly, "but, I'm not...it would make Shelly's death have been for nothing...Frank took enough away from me..."

They all nodded, before Jimmy turned to Monica, "have you heard about the internship?"

"Have an interview next week..." Monica replied, "what about you...?"

"Gremlins already got a place waiting for him when he's out of this chair..." Tony snarked.

"Tony...!" Jimmy exclaimed, horrified that Tony used that nickname in front of his collegues.

However, the two doctors just traded amused looks, Monica questioning, "gremlin...really...?"

Jimmy just dropped his head in his hand, shaking it in exasperation, while Tony just grinned.

Cameron chuckled a moment more before turning serious, holding out a hand to Tony, "thanks agent, and thank your team...for everything."

Tony sobered as he returned the handshake, "just doing our job..."

Cameronn nodded, his eyes resting on Jimmy, who had yet to look up, "yeah, well, take care of him okay...don't let him overdo it..."

Tony nodded as he followed Cameron's eyes to rest on Jimmy, "we always take care of our own..." then adding lightly, "speaking of which...it's naptime, my little gremlin...Ducky's orders..."

"Tony...!" Jimmy again exclaimed as he looked up at his friends as Tony was turning his wheelchair around.

Monica and Cameron gave a wave as Tony wheeled the chair out of the cemetary toward the parking lot.

"You gonna be okay...?" Monica asked, giving the mans arm a gentle hug.

Giving a heavy sigh, Cameron nodded slowly, "yeah, eventually..."

"Just remember...you have friends..." the woman said as she looked towards Jimmy's retreating figure, before giving his arm a gently shake, "if you ever need to talk..."

Cameron patted Monica's arm and slowly they made their way out of the cemetary.

**/./././ NCIS /./././**

a/n: probably not the ending people were hoping for...I really wanted a bit of Jimmy in danger to end it, but it just didn't work out that way...


End file.
